Literature-based Language Arts Curriculum

My 13 year old twin boys LOVE reading. When we head out the door, they almost always grab a book. However, my 11 year old twins just don’t seem to have the same desire. If they have a choice, they reach for an electronic gadget instead.

If I’m honest, I believe this is all my fault. I have allowed my younger boys to have way more access to electronics than my older boys did at the same age. When my older boys were young, we simply just didn’t have all the “stuff” we have now…which I believe is why they enjoy books so much more than their younger counterparts.

I have noticed a similar pattern when it comes to language arts and reading in our homeschool. While my older boys thrive, my younger boys are rather disinterested.

Now, I am very much aware that what works for one child, may not work for another. With this in mind, I’m desperately searching for a way to make reading more enticing and language arts learning more engaging for my younger boys. I’m currently checking out the Kendall Hunt Pathways 2.0 Reading and Language Arts program.

I received this product free of charge for review purposes and was compensated for my time. All opinions expressed in this post are my own and I was not required to post a positive review of the product.

Kendall Hunt Pathways 2.0 is a comprehensive reading program that integrates language arts learning. This Christian-based (Seventh-Day Adventist) program is organized into 9 unit studies based on the following themes:

1. Heroes: features those who overcame insurmountable odds, from physical to defending beliefs to social injustices
2. My World: students experience how people live in different cultures and political settings
3. Living Things: focuses on life-science and God’s creation
4. Walking with God: encourages students to grow spiritually by focusing on Christ-like attributes
5. Friends and Family: focuses on interrelationships around family members and friends
6. Environment: deals with the survival of people in nature and the exploration of God’s world
7. Personal Feelings: stresses personal issues and struggles as students move through the stages of development, while integrating character development
8. Yesterday: explores history and God’s hand in the affairs of humans
9. Social Issues: explores relationships among different groups over issues of prejudice, disabilities, cultures differences, immigration, poverty, hunger, and more

Each of the 9 units lasts 4 weeks, with 5 days of instruction for each week. This combines for a full 36 weeks / 180 days of language arts instruction!

Literature-based Language Arts

My favorite part of the program is that each unit utilizes an award-winning anchor book to help provide context for applying the skills learned within the unit.

For example, the first unit study of the grade 6 program begins with the Heroes theme. The accompanying text for this specific unit is the Newberry Medal Award-winning book, Amos Fortune: Free Man by Elizabeth Yates. Born the son of an African king, Amos was captured by slave traders when he was 15 years old. He was taken to Massachusetts and sold at auction.

Although his freedom had been taken, Amos never lost his courage, dignity, and determination to regain freedom for himself and his closest friends. Amos Fortune truly is a hero that we can all learn from!

This is just one of the nine total anchor books for the Grade 6 program. View a complete list of the anchor books for each grade level & unit of study here.

Engaging Activities

While the Pathways 2.0 program is literature-based, the student does way more than just read the book. The program provides hands-on, interactive activities that correlate and integrate with the anchor book. For example, the Amos Fortune unit study includes activities such as:

• matchbook chapter summaries
• writing riddles
• graphic organizers
• word maps
• and more!

Comprehensive & Easy to Teach

The program includes instruction in spelling, writing, grammar, and reading! And, the program appears to be easy to teach! Did I mention that the Teacher Daily Lesson Guide tells you exactly what to do every single day for the entire unit! If you are a busy homeschool mom like me, having the lessons all planned out can be a HUGE time saver!

But wait…there’s more! The appendix of the teacher guide includes all the printables that you need for the unit study! Word study printables. Reading and writing printables. Assessments. It’s all included! It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Final Thoughts

I stumbled upon the following quote on the Pathways 2.0 website: “The program is based upon the belief that students should not only learn how to read, but also acquire the desire to read, write, and learn.” This sounds exactly like what I’m looking for when it comes to my younger twin boys!

So, if you are like me and you think your 1st – 8th grade student might need a change, be sure to check out the Kendall Hunt Pathways 2.0 program!

While you’re at it, be sure to connect with Kendall Hunt on social media as well: Facebook | Twitter